Red Is Life

Human Cheese

A Chelsea Chef is making cheese from his wife's breast milk - "though (DOH) codes do not explicitly forbid the practice - they have advised Angerer to refrain from sharing his wife's milk with the world" - 

As Cindy Adams would say - "only in New York" -  

Elizabeth's Redux

One of the greatest breakfast/ brunch joints on the face of the earth - located next to the levee in the Bywater section of New Orleans - after pulling the car up on the embankment - 45 minute wait for a table - worth it -

Hang'in upstairs - Bloody Marys with Sapphire Gin - Mimosas with Napoleon Blanc de Blanc - into the mood -

Eggs Florentine - fried oysters/ creamed spinach/ home fries/ scrambled Eggs (swapped for poached) - no matter how late you were out the night before - this just makes you feel good - add a biscuit - what more could one want -

Oh yeah - almost forgot the bacon - bacon topped with pralines - like eating candy - only it's really bacon -

Rest of the day - goes slowly - with a smile -

Murderer Remains At Large

Billed as a New Year's Murder Mystery Game with Supper thrown in - the meal was so overwhelming - we let "the one" who "did in" the Chocolate Baron "remain at large" for at least another year -

First up - George T. Stagg (on the rocks) - bourbon masterpiece - clean - touch of sweet - smooth - ethereal to the brown spirit lover - this particular bottle tipping the scales at 144.8 Proof (yes that is the correct number) - as Tonya "Lenell" Smothers would have quickly pointed out - "you're got to cut this" - either with a splash - or - add ice and wait for the melting to begin - I go for this latter technique -

Cocktails in hand - the group (8) settled before the video player for the facts of the case - just the facts - then attempted to read the first round of clues - we made it around the room (sort of) - before adjourning to the magnificently set Supper table -

Soup - Portage Parmentier - matched with Frederic Mallo - Alsace - Riesling Reserve Speciale - 2005 - dry - some fruit - acid a little low for my palette - but a definite crowd pleaser - perfect with the light milkiness of the potato and leeks which graced my cup - 

This speciale reserve is a select collection of fine riesling winegrapes from the lieu-dit Muhlforst. Well-structured and balanced, with ripe mirabelle plum, pear, citrus and mineral notes and a pure and rounded intensity -

Second round of mystery readings - character development - clues - then - Appetizers - Quenelles De Poisson - two perfectly formed on each plate - served on a bed of sharp greens - drizzled with luxe homemade mayonnaise - more Alsatian Riesling -

The murderer was starting to think he might actually get away with it -

Entree served - Filet De Boeuf Braise Prince Albert - OMG - fillet mignon stuffed with Foie Gras and Truffles - braised in a marinade made from a matignon of carrots - onions - celery reduced and mixed with truffles and wine - after - the exterior of beef has been wrapped in bacon - OMG again - the presentation - the plate put before each person was awesome - the taste - richness - the truffles - the thickened wine marinade with truffles to create a gravy - or was it a sauce - whoa - no one finished - it was just too much - wonderfully - too much - we forgot to applaud - how do you convey clapping with text - 

Wine in the Bordeaux glass was Chateau Bernadotte - Grand Vin - Haut Medoc - 2005 - rich - smooth edges - particularly for a "four year old" - nicely "cleaned" the senses after the overwhelming envelopment of the Boeuf Prince Albert - did not need more time in the bottle - 

Good bright ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, flowers and mint. Cool, juicy and leanish but with good lift to the pure red fruit flavors. Ultimately conveys a rather austere impression, with the finish showing a tart quality and firm tannic spine. The team did a shorter than normal maceration at cool temperature in search of a fruity wine. Perhaps a bit undernourished.

A second Bourdeaux was Chateau Cambon La Pelous 2005 - nice but was not impressed - needed 4 or 5 more years -

...big, sweet bouquet of melted chocolate, black currants, vanilla, and cedar is followed by a full-bodied, rich, impressively constituted Cambon La Pelouse with no hard edges. This sleeper of the vintage is ideal for drinking during its first 7-8 years of life

Even though everyone was dressed in character - my wife radiant as a glam artist - complete with dark glasses and cigarette holder - specializing in sexually scandalous paintings - Gerry looking like the a Westchester version of Indiana Jones - lacking only the whip and revolver - Jack sporting white dinner jacket - cummberbun - slicked back hair - French accent (or was that Belgium) on New Years Eve - - - - we conceded the keys to the jailhouse - retiring to the kitchen for flourless chocolate cake - pear tart (Balthazar) - and in a flashback to 1966 - chocolate fondue (Ghirardelli) accessed via stainless steel stakes used to thrust through fresh (pinapple - mango - apple) and dried (appricots - pears) fruit - all washed down with crisp sips of Veuve Clicquot - nothing "from the charts on this one" Veuve Clicquot is VC - a celebration -

New Year's tks -

• Steph - Portage
• Jack - Quenelles - the two spoon skill I do not have -
• Steph - Filet De Boeuf - truffle madness !!! - you have to love 'em -
• Gerry - Bordeaux X2
• Robert/Garnet - Perfect Riesling without tasting the menu -
• Johnathan - Suggesting Alsace
• Steph - The Event - so wonderfully over the top -
• Maki - my partner in everything -

Enjoy 2010 - its going to be a great year - 

Woven Bacon Bottom Line

OMG -  the guys who created - Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of All Recipes - have gotten a six-figure book deal - what are we doing wrong -

Woven Bacon Update

Since posting Woven Bacon - back on Jan 7 - linking RED IS LIFE readers to Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of All Recipes - sales of Lipitor have skyrocketed -

Damon Darlin's smokin'  - Take Bacon. Add Sausage. Blog - New York Times - speaks of the phenom that has swept the internet - 16,000 sites have linked to the recipe - 390,000 viewers have taken a look at what its all about -

Is it a conspiracy by Pfizer to sell more Lipitor - will BBQ Bacon Sausage be the food of choice on Super Bowl Sunday - Are we seeing the next Hula Hoop -

Stay tuned -

Acme Oyster Shooter

Ducked pass the line outside that so screams tourist - making a lateral move to the shucker's station just inside the front door - ordered a dozen raw - a dozen chargrilled - iced tea - beer -

Three shuckers were working - one interrupted his routine to enter our order - never letting up on the conversation which started the moment we pulled up our bar stools -

Woven Bacon

Asked what makes his food special - celebrity chef responds - "everything tastes better with bacon" -

Experimenting with new cocktail recipes - this author "cures" - Bacon Bourbon -

New post on BBQ Addicts - Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of All Recipes - takes it beyond OMG - the detailed text is fully illustrated - don't try at home without a Lipitor IV -

Rockefeller University Egg Nog

Egg Nog Recipe - perfected at Rockefeller University - captured on video - exploring the question - does adding Rum/ Bourbon/ Whiskey - i.e. - Booze - to Eggs/ Milk/ Whipped Cream/ Sugar/ Nutmeg - i.e. - Egg Nog - prevent bacteria - 

Bacon Bourbon

Several recipe postings on the web for Bacon Infused Bourbon - neat - on-the-rock - Manhattans - had to try it - 

Flying Goat @ Croton Creek

The group (12) was hard liquor - for me - the need for something red (plus I was driving home) - picking a moderately priced Pinot - as it was intended to also be poured for the table - asked the matre'd regarding "weight" - wanting enough body - broadening appeal to non-Pinot drinkers - he moved me up to - Flying Goat - Solomon Hills - Santa Maria Valley - 2005 - absolutely perfect  - 

Drago's

Read about them - sought them out - Drago's Char Broiled Oysters - 

Fresh shucked - on the half shell - filled with garlic - Parmesan & Romano cheese - oyster liquor - tossed on a fierce char-grill (gas) - brought to the table - scorched - 

To say they were inhaled would be an understatement - absolutely delicious - resulting in a fiery debate whether to order another dozen - or to be adults - 

Maturity won - will definitely go back - 

SoCo & Lime

First trip to Fillmore East - Janis Joplin stood in the lobby - chugging a bottle of Southern Comfort  - perhaps that image - perhaps the super sweetness - I never took to the beverage - 

Fast forward - New Orleans - where Southern Comfort was created to hide the harsh taste of raw whiskey - i.e. - its not bourbon -  the kids (college) all drink SoCo & Lime shots - 1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort - splash of sweetened lime juice - combined with ice - shaken until chilled - strained into a shot glass - 

76 proof (you can get 100) - still super sweet but mellowed - young - absolutely painless going down - smooooth - fun - after 2 or 3 - you're loaded - i.e. - its stealth - its subtle - its dangerous (smile) if you don't pay attention - 

Have I given away my age - 

Screams For Champagne

Just ate a sandwich that - Screams for Champagne - not Persecco - not Blanc de Blanc - real -  tight - Brut Champagne - and not just for the flavor - or the cut necessary to balance the sandwich's decadent richness - but expensive champagne - to come up to - what has to be the most expensive "grilled cheese" sandwich I've ever made -

Creative Ice Wine Usage

The mind was willing - the body said enough - ergo -  left over ice wine on the refrig door -

Weeks passed - BBQ time - Mussels in Vodka Sauce - eureka moment -

Awesome Spuds

Cook in a restaurant - you follow the recipe - Chef says add 1/4 teaspoon of butter - you add 1/4 teaspoon of butter -

Cook at home - you read the recipe - see what's in the cupboard - shop - modify - improvise - amend - by the second or third time you make it - its yours - bearing little or no resemblance to the original -

So it is with Yukon Potatoes on the charcoal grill -

Wild Wonderful Salmon

Now - at some local fish mongers - Wild Alaskan Salmon - Wild Copper River  - King Salmon - i.e. - non farm raised - non organic salmon -

Much more money - in some cases twice the price of the bland stuff - but taste-wise - indescribable - a factor of 3 or 4 -

Salted a thick piece of Wild Alaskan Salmon for 15 minutes - tossed on the Weber - off the flame - added a HD aluminum foil packet of soaked Hickory chips - half way through - poured a few tablespoons of honey atop the fillet -

Awesome !!!!

SF X 4

In SF for business - right off the plane - lunch at The Waterfront - realtime demo of a restaurant POS - beautiful view of the bay - nice food - no drinks - no wine - have to work the afternoon -

Freshen up at the ultra boutique - Harbor Court Hotel - big lobby - small rooms -

Attempted dinner at One Market Restaurant - menu was over-inspired - nothing of interest - two bottles of wine did not deter us from moving down the block to Boulevard - go with your instincts - it was the right move -

Overall - 3 businessmen in search of full bodied Pinot - we succeeded - 4 times - (3 Pinot - 1 Cab)

Uncooked Mac & Cheese

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese - it showed up in a feature article in Wednesday's Dining Section - The Winter Cook, Julia Moskin, New York Times, 010406 - only you didn't cook the macaroni !!! -

How absurd - how counter intuitive - how Un-American -

With a giant question mark across my forehead - I did my "mise en place" - sounds like I know what I'm doing - followed the recipe - almost to the letter - leaving out only the nutmeg - Maki hates nutmeg - pasing on the extra dollop of butter - and voila !!!

I'll never boil elbow macaroni again -

Crawfish Boil

Take 350 pounds of crawfish - toss them into a pot of boilding water - add stuff - serve -

Right !!!

Absolutely Fascinating

Came across a reference - Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project - in Gourmet Magazine -

The Feeding America project has created an online collection of some of the most important and influential American cookbooks  from the late 18th to early 20th century. The digital archive includes page images of 76 cookbooks from the MSU Library's collection as well as searchable full-text transcriptions. This site also   features a glossary of cookery terms  and multidimensional   images of antique cooking implements from the collections   of the MSU Museum